<span style="font-size:medium;"><b>Welcome to EV's Indoor Antenna Round-Up!<br><br>
The Ultimate Internet Guide to Indoor Antennas!</b></span><br><br><img alt="" src="http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn88/EscapeVelo/IMG_0105.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
Some introductory thoughts.<br><br><b>THIS GUIDE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS</b><br><br>
These antennas are listed in no particular order. This list of antennas are all recommended and better than average.<br><br>
There is no one best indoor antenna. Environmental factors present a plethora of situations that no one antenna can be best for all of them. In fact, most times the best indoor antenna is an antenna placed outdoors or an outdoor antenna placed indoors. Some may need VHF Hi and UHF, others only UHF, after the Feb2009 shutdown of analog broadcasts. <b>Antennas are a strange brew, sometimes it's more of an art than a science, and while these are generally well regarded antennas for indoor use, Your Mileage May Vary.</b><br><br>
Remember, outdoor placement is much preferred if you can swing it. Even if you get some of these outdoor antennas that are small, flat, and aesthetic and unobtrusive enough to go inside, they will do better outside on a patio or outside a window especially if facing the broadcast tower cluster. Some even put large antennas in attics.<br><br>
These are some of my personal favorites and I have personal experience with many of these antennas. Most are highly recommended antennas by others on the net and other AVSforum members in this thread; and in reviews and tests that I researched on the net<br><br>
The other end of the equation is tuner ability, sensitivity and selectivity. ATSC tuners have dramatically improved over the last couple of years. If you are on the fringe of reception even using the best antenna setups, you may want to consider improving your tuner with a set top box tuner. Both SD Coupon Elligible Converter Boxes and HDTV Tuner Boxes exist. LG and Samsung make great HDTV tuner boxes. LG makes some of the best tuners, and their CECB the Zenith DTT901 currently has one of the most sensitive tuners for those looking to keep using their old CRT NTSC analog sets. You can research tuners and converter boxes in the same subforum that you are now located in AVSforum.<br><br>
Please feel free to add your comments, suggestions, observations, corrections, experiences, questions, etc. They are most welcome.<br><br>
I am not an expert or highly trained and experienced technician, just an amateur enthusiast. I do not portend to be anything else. There are many other people on this site that are much more knowledgable and experienced than I.<br><br>
Special thanks to Seatacboy, golinux, fajitamosaic, Rick313, Rammitinski, and deltaguy, for their encoragement, enthusiasm, guidance and contributions.....and to KenH for making this thread a sticky.<br><br>
I hope this will be useful to others.<br><br>
Please let me know if you like it.<br><br>
Best regards<br><br>
EV<br><br><br><br><b>Newbies start here! Read this first!</b><br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block"><b>Antennas and Digital Television</b><br><br>
FCC Consumer Facts<br><br>
Federal law requires that all full-power television broadcast stations stop broadcasting in analog format and broadcast only in digital format after February 17, 2009. Broadcast stations in all U.S. markets are currently broadcasting in both analog and digital. If you have one or more analog televisions that receive free over-the-air television programming with an outdoor antenna or "rabbit ears" on the TV, you will either need a digital television (a TV with a built in digital tuner) or an analog television connected to a "digital-to-analog converter box" (which converts digital signals to analog signals for viewing on your analog set) in order to continue to watch programming from full-power broadcast stations. This Fact Sheet provides information on antennas and on what is needed for good quality reception of digital broadcasts.<br><br><b>Try Using Your Existing Antenna First</b><br><br>
First, it is important to know that if your television currently receives good quality reception on analog channels 2-51 with a broadcast antenna, it should be able to receive digital television (DTV) signals, including high definition television (HDTV) signals, with the same broadcast antenna. You do not need to purchase a "DTV antenna" or an "HDTV antenna" to receive DTV or HDTV signals. However, consumers should be aware that if they use a digital-to-analog converter box, they will still need to use an antenna to receive DTV signals.<br><br>
Prior to making any changes to your current antenna or antenna system, you should check to see if it will receive the digital signals being broadcast in your area. Connect your existing antenna to either a digital television or a digital-to-analog converter box connected to an analog TV. Make sure your TV is set up to receive over-the-air broadcasts (as opposed to being connected to a paid provider such as a cable or satellite TV company). It may also be helpful to perform a "channel scan," in which your TV will automatically check to see which stations it can receive. In many cases, this is all you will need to do to watch digital television broadcasts.<br><br><b>For Help With Reception Problems</b><br><br>
If you experience reception problems, the following information and tips may help to improve your reception for digital broadcasts.<br><br>
During the transition to digital TV, many stations are temporarily operating at reduced power levels. If you are not receiving certain digital TV stations, this does not necessarily mean there is a problem with your antenna or receiver. Check with the TV station to find out whether they are planning changes that will improve reception.<br><br>
When an analog TV signal is weak or receives interference, static, snow, and distortion will often appear on the screen, but you can watch the picture through the noise. Digital broadcasting will provide a clear picture even with a weak signal and in the presence of interference. However, if the digital signal falls below a certain minimum strength, the picture can suddenly disappear. This “cliff effect” means that if you typically watch analog TV stations that have a lot of static and distortion, you may have to adjust or upgrade your antenna system to get a reliably good signal for digital broadcasts.<br><br>
TV reception can be affected by factors such as terrain, trees, buildings, the weather (rain, wind, humidity), and damaged/deteriorated equipment. Often digital reception can be improved just by changing the location of your current antenna. Moving it away from other objects and structures, or placing it higher can often improve reception.<br><br>
Many antennas need to be oriented or aimed to get the best signal from the desired station. For indoor antennas, you may need to do this manually by trial and error. For outdoor antennas, a rotor that re-orients the antenna can improve performance, particularly when trying to receive stations that transmit from different locations.<br><br>
Television stations broadcasting in digital use both the VHF band (channels 2-13) and UHF band (channels 14-51). Many indoor antennas use “rabbit ears” for the VHF band and a “loop” or “bow-tie” antenna for the UHF band. Make sure you are using an antenna that covers both the VHF and UHF bands and have connected it properly.<br><br>
Simple indoor antennas, such as rabbit ears, provide minimal performance that may or may not be suitable for your location. If you are unable to obtain satisfactory reception with your current indoor antenna, you may wish to obtain an indoor antenna that includes features for better reception of UHF signals and/or an amplifier to boost the received signal (often referred to as an active indoor antenna).<br><br>
Generally, an outdoor antenna will get better reception than an indoor antenna. If you already have an outdoor antenna and are getting good quality reception from VHF and UHF channels, your antenna should work fine for digital television.<br><br>
The performance of outdoor antennas can degrade over time due to exposure to the weather. If you are having problems, check for loose or corroded wiring, broken antenna elements and that the antenna is pointed in the right direction.<br><br>
Try to keep the length of wire between your antenna and digital receiver as short as possible for best reception.<br><br>
You can use a single antenna to provide digital broadcasts to multiple TVs in your home. Remember, however, that each analog TV connected to your antenna will need its own digital-to-analog converter box to view digital broadcast programming.<br><br>
"Splitters" that are used to connect a single antenna to multiple receivers reduce the amount of signal available to each receiver. If you are having problems, check to see whether reception is improved without the splitter. In some cases an "active" splitter that includes an amplifier can solve the problem.<br><br>
If you are near a station's broadcast tower, reception of that station, as well as other stations, can be impeded by signal "overload". Consider using an "attenuator" or removing amplifiers to improve your reception.<br><br><b>If you decide to replace or upgrade your outdoor antenna, websites such as <a href="http://www.antennaweb.org" target="_blank">www.antennaweb.org</a> and <a href="http://tvfool.com/" target="_blank">http://tvfool.com/</a> provide information on the locations of broadcast towers and the types of outdoor antennas appropriate for the stations you wish to receive.</b> If you need assistance with upgrading your antenna system, check with a local antenna retailer or antenna installer.<br><br><a href="http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/468153.html" target="_blank">http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messa...79/468153.html</a></div>
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Sage advice from KenH.<br><br><div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>Ken H</strong> <a href="/forum/post/14136288"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style=""></a><br><br>
In general:<br>
Outdoors is better than indoors.<br>
Bigger is better than smaller.<br>
Directional is better than omnidirectional.<br>
Mounting higher is better than mounting lower.</div>
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<br><br><br><b>Performance rankings.....based on EV's observations....Rough Guide....YMMV</b><br><br>
These are rough guestimations, based on my personal observations. They have not been instrument tested yet. Just because something is at the top of the list, does not necessarily mean that it is the best antenna for you and your particular situation. You may be best served by an unamplified model or an omnidirectional model, and directional and amplified units tend to do better on net gain and distance measures. This list is also most certainly distorted by varying atmospheric conditions. I will address that by instrument testing these all on one day, so as to minimize human and atmospheric error.<br><br>
Performance rankings so far.....based on EV's observations....Rough Guide....YMMV<br><br><b>THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS and is changed and updated regularly as new and better testing data becomes available</b><br><br><b>Channel Master 4220 with CM 7777 amp on roof<br>
DB2 with CM 7777 amp on roof<br>
RS 1880<br>
RS 1892 UFO<br>
Antennas Direct ClearStream2<br>
Channel Master 4220 unamped indoors<br>
DB2 unamped indoors<br>
Winegard SS-3000<br>
Petra SuperPower 32db (Cornet 645A)<br>
Terk HDTVa<br>
RS Double Bow Tie<br>
Philips MANT940<br>
RS DA-5200<br>
GE Futura Outdoor<br>
Philips MANT950<br>
RCA ANT806<br>
Classic Single Bow Tie<br>
Philips Silver Sensor<br>
Godar Model 1<br>
Terk TV-3<br>
Philips MANT510<br>
RS 1634<br>
My First Attempt at the Coat Hanger Antenna, Youtube Video Specifications unamped<br>
GE Futura Indoor<br>
Terk TV-55<br>
RS 1874 Budget<br>
Picture Frame Antenna<br>
RCA ANT1500<br>
Channel Master 4030<br>
Samsung Axession TV DA1000/GE Contempo<br>
RCA ANT108 (very similar to the RCA ANT110 and others)<br>
RS 1868 Delta<br>
Terk TV-2<br>
RCA ANT1020<br>
Terk TV-5<br>
RS 1870<br>
Jensen TV 931<br>
Terk TV-1 without Loop<br>
RS FM Dipole</b><br><br><br><br>
EV's Favorites....so far<br><br>
RS 1880<br>
RS 1892 UFO<br>
RS DA-5200<br>
RS Double Bow Tie<br>
RS Single Classic BowTie<br>
RS 1874 Budget<br>
Petra SuperPower 32db(Cornet 645A)<br>
Godar Model 1<br>
Antennas Direc DB2<br>
Antennas Direct ClearStream2<br>
Channel Master 4149<br>
Winegard SS-3000<br>
Terk HDTVa<br>
Terk TV-3<br>
Terk TV-2<br>
Philips Silver Sensor<br>
Philips MANT510<br>
Philips MANT940<br>
Philips MANT950<br>
RCA ANT806<br>
RCA ANT108 (ANT110)<br><br><br><br>
Here is a chart designed by wwong incorporating the data that I collected in regards to antenna performance using a Zenith 901 Converter Box. Note the first 2 entries were tested on a seperate day, I was testing the Clearstream2 and used the DB2 as a control to help integrate the information into the above lists.<br><br><img alt="" src="http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=118085&amp;d=121996112 9" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br><br>
.

Some introductory thoughts.......THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS and is changed and updated regularly as new and better testing data becomes available

Two points here:

1) With Radio Shack going out of business, this should be a good time to purchase some of the recommended Radio Shack antennas at deep discounts. The 15-1874 Budget TV Antenna is among the better "dipole-and-loop" designs for reception, as was verified in EV's test findings, and other decent-performing Radio Shack models are mentioned as well in EV's test listings.

2) Why has this thread been removed as an HDTV Forum "sticky" topic? There continue to be questions about indoor antenna performance posted in this forum. Who else has conducted rigorous, unbiased scientific testing and comparison of these different antennas? While EV apparently isn't hanging out on this forum, his work here is quite valuable, even though the new lightweight, flappy antennas (Leaf - Flatwave - HD-Blade) weren't tested because they weren't on the market until 2012. Please restore this topic as a sticky!